Maravi

LETTERS

Was I there?
By Jenkins Chisoni, Glasgow
Thursday June 28, 2007 [04:00]

I am a very sad person today as I have noticed a very big crack in Patriotic Front caused by a group of people who were near Sata and Dr Guy Scott at the birth of PF in 2001.
Sata, where have all these people mushroomed from to destroy your party which was born out of your sweat? Is Chiluba really worth the destruction of PF?

"Was I there?" was your reaction when the London judgment came out.
Was it merely to impress Zambians that you were not there when Chiluba was stealing from government coffers?

No ba Sata, a statement from your mouth is required to clear the true position of PF on the support for Chiluba who even robbed you a chance to stand as MMD presidential canditate. Chiluba is trying to rob you for a second time by using your party to clear his name. Shamelessly and deliberately, he has forgotten what he did to you in 2001.
Sata, keep quiet at the peril of PF and yourself in relation to 2011. Zambians cannot be taken for granted. They know the truth.

They know who is telling the truth between Chishimba, Machungwa, Sampa-Bredt and the Post. 2011 is coming and quickly indeed. PF must clear its position.





http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=28343

Nullification of election results
By Concerned citizen
Thursday June 28, 2007 [04:00]

My heart is always troubled and so are other peace-loving Zambians’ when every day we hear of some seats being nullified.

Is it the electoral process which is wrong or the corruption which is revealing itself?

I’m very sure it’s not only these seats but thereare still plenty which will go unnoticed.

This is very sad because people didn’t vote for these poeple. They were corrupted.

Can the concerned authorities start educating people on why they should vote and how they should vote now.








http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=28348

Katele can't represent us
By Mwansa Pintu, Lusaka
Thursday June 28, 2007 [04:00]

I totally agree with the sentiments raised by Emily Sikazwe about Katele Kalumba being the wrong person to chair the constitution-making process as reported in the Post issue of Tuesday June 26, 2007.

It’s about time as Zambians we learnt to stand up and speak out against such things.
Just who is Katele to propel the constitution-making process on our behalf? What qualifications does the man have to occupy such a critical position?

The man has a doctorate, fine. He was also minister in the Chiluba government, and he is a member of parliament for some constituency. But are these enough qualifications to put him in charge of the constitution-making process?

In my view, Katele’s questionable character based on the nature of court cases he is currently facing and conduct during Chiluba’s last term totally disqualifies him to even sit on any institution, let alone the Zambia Centre for Inter-party Dialogue (ZCID).
I sometimes even wonder why and how the MMD has accepted and allowed such a man to be its leader! What they see in this man, you will never know because as far as I am concerned, unless the courts clear his name, Katele can never and should never hold public office.

We should take a leaf from the behaviour of politicians in the Western nations. Once someone is named in any scandal or in a case of insincerity, they have no choice but to step aside and allow the law take its course. Here they will stick around and we will accept them as if nothing is wrong. And that’s why they take us for granted, and go on mismanaging our affairs.

Surprisingly, in Zambia, even convicted criminals will go in, serve their sentences and still come out and speak loudly on national issues while standing on rooftops. And we still give them our attention and listen to them! That’s why they take us for granted.
Zambians need to throw into the dust bins of history people of such characters, as Katele. Let them learn lessons from their misconduct, and let us never entertain them anymore. Once more, Katele is a misfit at ZCID. He should not even be given any space in the constitution-making process. There is nothing he can offer. Let persons of credible character be appointed to such important national positions.

As for the political parties, just how did you accept such persons like Katele to chair your meeting on Monday? Why do you pretend when you very well know about this man’s questionable character! Let’s be serious, people. This is not about child play but a serious matter. Let us not allow Mwanawasa to impose persons of questionable character on us in order to derail the constitution-making process.
Let us get rid of Katele now!! He cannot be trusted.




http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=28347

African leaders
By Concerned citizen
Thursday June 28, 2007 [04:00]

Col Muammar Gaddafi must have seen light at the end of the tunnel when he advocated a United States of Africa.This vision was foreseen and told by some of Africa's fallen heroes like Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah, Tanzania's Julius Nyerere and amongst other African freedom fighters Dr Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia.

Look at the policies that leaders like Nyerere were trying to bring in place. Ujamaa for instance, was one policy that Nyerere was trying to develop not just in his country but for the entire continent to emulate.

It is a pity to note that our African leaders today have chosen to remain mute on developing one united Africa. Speak for Africa to remain united and realistic in fighting all kinds of external forces invading our continent.

We can possibly achieve this by integrating into one pack namely United States of Africa. An African saying goes; take heed of an elders’ advice or risk being involved in emanating trouble. Support Col Gaddafi's vision of uniting Africa into one state.
Grey hair appears on one's head only when they have seen multiple number of years.



http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=28346

Politics and good governance
By Dr Jonas Chanda, Nigeria
Thursday June 28, 2007 [04:00]

I haven't written to your distinguished paper for a while, not due to lack of patriotic sense in contributing to the national debate, but rather due to my disdain for the pettiness that governance and politics have sadly come to be in Zambia today.

From a distance, I have watched useless and endless political debates over such a basic requirement as a constitution, with our government leaders hallucinating between total rejection of the constituent assembly with the resultant red-ribbon movement to oppose their view; to toying with such expensive ideas as a referendum for determining the mode of adopting the constitution, and to eventually inter-changing words like "constitutional conference" and "constituent assembly."

All this is done to manipulate and hoodwink the poverty-stricken people of Zambia whose basic needs of life - food, jobs, clean water, quality and affordable health and educational services, good roads, etc - go unmet and are all but forgotten.

The political tensions which are being exercabated in Zambia to boiling point will not be beneficial to anyone if Zambia was to turn into another Rwanda, DRC Congo, Biafran Nigeria, or a destroyed Iraq or Palestine. We are no more special than all these peoples of these countries where tribalism has wreaked untold havoc. In Zambia, we seem to take our relative stability for granted and hence the unrestricted tribal sentiments championed by politicians and sadly the press as well.

It will be pointless to try to divide our people purely on tribal sentiments, and it will be folly to play witch-hunting and a highly-charged rhetorical game in settling political scores, whatever victory we may achieve in the end.

Let us put the country ahead of our personal political grievances, affiliations and allegiances.

Let us focus our energies on strengthening independent democratic institutions such as the courts, and let us objectively and collectivelly ensure that we stop the cancers of corruption, nepotism and tribalism that seem so entrenched and endemic in our society.
And more importantly, let us respect basic human rights such as the right to remain innocent until proven guilty, accept the outcomes or verdicts of the courts of law, and ensure the right of appeal from convicted persons or parties, while upholding our unity as one people and one country.





http://www.postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=28349

Funding political parties
By Fanuel Khazikani Banda, USA
Thursday June 28, 2007 [04:00]

Lawrence Nyambe's letter ( The Post, Tuesday 26 2007) advocating public funding of political parties cannot go unchallenged. I agree with Victor's argument (The Post, June 19, 2007) that funding political parties at this point in our history may not be the most prudent way to spend our money.

Nyambe seems to have his priorities backwards on this issue. He seems to be under the illusion that somehow, funding our political parties will bring about development. I actually think it is the other way round. Improving our social delivery service, economic situation needs to take precedence to pandering to political parties.

A well fed, well educated population is a catalyst to a mature democracy but a well fed political party will not necesarily bring about social and economic development.
So, when money is in short supply like it is in Zambia, it is judicious to eat, get an education, get health care and get clean air before splurging on political groupings.

Additionally, with as much poverty as there is in Zambia, one can only imagine the amount of of chaos this would bring in the political parties as hungry, greedy politicians jostle to lay their greasy hands on this unearned and undeserved money.
I actually think that funding political parties in Zambia today would decimate the opposition due to infighting and undermine the very democracy such funding is supposed to enhance.

Labels: LETTERS

posted by MrK @ 4:13 AM